Servant Leadership

Servant leadership. According to Robert Greenleaf, who coined the term servant leadership, this exercise of power “begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” During my almost three decades of higher education experience, the most effective leadership is servant leadership in action.

Far too frequently our students provide us with amazing lessons in this type of leadership.

As I walk the campus and observe, often from afar, I am amazed what our students do for each other, the university, and our neighbors.

During move-in week our OWL’S and CA’s provided servant leadership with poise, dignity, and most importantly a genuine SMILE. There was no task that was too small or no frustrated first-year students and their family, that would keep this dedicated group from making the day a memorable one for everybody.

Also, Joar Dahn, our CGA president and an immigrant like me, along with his executive board, have shown leadership in action. Joar has met with town leaders to facilitate conversations so that our students and our neighbors in town can exist symbolically along-side each other.

Our faculty also show us servant leadership. I am utterly amazed at the level of service the BU faculty provides on and off campus. For example, two faculty members, Kurt Smith and Scott Lowe, both from the department of philosophy, serve on the town Planning Commission. Retired faculty members Jim Pomfret and Chang Shub Roh also work together delivering meals on wheels. And I am sure I haven’t even scratched the surface of others who volunteer in many ways across campus and our town and region.

Our staff is also very active serving others. For example, Donna Gillaspy, administrative assistant in the sports information office, is a volunteer at the Bloomsburg Elks Lodge as well as with the Bloomsburg Women’s Civic Club and serves as mission team leader at the Wesley United Methodist Church.

BU is a special place because of the servant leaders that prefer to lead with action rather than words. Valuable lessons for all, especially newcomers to the Huskies family like me.

Bashar